“White Christmas”

One of my Christmas presents came early this year, tied up with a big ruffled bow in “White Christmas,” which runs through Sunday at the Des Moines Civic Center. It was delivered in the form of the show’s first romantic duet, “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing,” which the rest of the audience probably enjoyed, too.

But for me, the gift was so useful: Those seven words sum up the whole show.

The clackety tap-dancing! The kick lines! The Fred-and-Ginger-y ballroom routines! They’re all spectacular or graceful or both, and they’re set to the timeless hits of Irving Berlin, which the gifted touring cast sings over bright, bouncy sounds from a mostly local jazz orchestra.

There are 20 musical numbers over the course of 2-plus hours, which is a good thing, because again, the best things happen while the show is dancing.

And when it’s not? Well, let’s just say some rolling eyes studied the finer points of the Civic Center ceiling.

But did I tell you about the dancing?

OK, fine. The dopey story, borrowed from the 1954 movie, is the sort that only the 1950s could have produced, somewhere between hula hoops and Miss Frances’ “Ding Dong School.” It’s about two army buddies (James Clow, David Elder) who come home after World War II and form a famous song-and-dance duo. After a gig one night on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” they follow a sister act (Trista Moldovan, Meredith Patterson) to a Vermont inn that just happens to belong to their crusty old army commander (Joseph Costa). So they woo the ladies, put on a show in the barn and save the inn from foreclosure. Hooray!

Sorry to spoil the surprise, but if you’re going, you’d guess the ending anyway, right about the time you take off your coat.

But it’s too easy to poke holes in the plot. The story line is just a vehicle for the razzle-dazzle, the way canned pumpkin is just an excuse for nutmeg.

It’s also easy to mock the Lawrence Welk-y corniness, which “Saturday Night Live” does from time to time with Kristen Wiig’s oddball Denise, a tag-along sister with a giant forehead and freakishly shrunken hands. She could add something special to the “White Christmas” sisters’ duet with the ostrich-feather fans.

So let’s turn instead to the show’s technical merits, which are sky-high. The costumes are lovely. The sets are grand but flat, to allow plenty of room for dancing.

The actors who play the two central couples turn in fine performances — Clow is especially good — and they’re surrounded by an able supporting cast. The character actor Ruth Williamson (“Modern Family,” “Castle,” “Monk”) stands out as the brassy innkeeper, and Cliff Bemis (“Dallas,” “Cheers”) wins laughs as the inn’s taciturn handyman. He’s a good counterpoint to the general’s chipmunky granddaughter (Grace Matwijec on opening night), who makes Little Orphan Annie seem like a goth.

But for all the assembled talent, the show is more impressive than genuinely heartwarming. It’s more Rockettes than Charlie Brown.

Part of the story turns on the dilemma of a rare New England heat wave, which turns away all the tourists who were planning to stay at the inn. So when the snow finally flew on Tuesday night — from a foam machine that lightly sprayed the front rows (including Gov. Terry Branstad) — it was sort of a big, glorious deal.

The effect was fleeting. The woman I followed into the lobby looked outside and muttered, “I hope it’s not snowing.”